Music Review – Death Becomes Even The Maiden

Death Becomes Even The Maiden sees the remnants of three former Columbia bands coming together to pool their talents. Bassist/vocalist Eric Greenwood fronted the post-punk fixture From Safety To Where, Heyward Sims played guitar in the instrumental outfit Bolt and Chris Powell manned the skins for Haunted Bulldozer. DBETM released their debut, a two-song seven inch record, in 2006. Stylistically, those two songs bore a great resemblance to From Safety To Where’s brand of angular rock. That is why The Arrangement comes as such a pleasant surprise. There is tremendous growth shown and DBETM are able find their own unique voice within these five songs. From Safety To Where dabbled in new wave territory but nothing like DBETM do on The Arrangement. Greenwood’s vocals take on a new dimension as he exercises a great deal of restraint here. That is key as it gives the nimble guitar playing of Heyward Sims room to breathe. Greenwood’s pounding bass and the frenetic drumming of Powell only work to enhance the DBETM’s musical landscape. The power and the aggression remain but Greenwood and his bandmates have focused on the quieter aspects of their songwriting. Meaning you can finally hear the beauty that lies beneath all the chaos.